Romy Gill’s Machi Marinated Tandoori Masala
Served with cooling mooli raita or rolled into wraps with mint and coriander chutney, these tandoori fish make for a beautiful centrepiece when feeding friends and family.
Introduction
I first cooked this recipe with the staff at a hotel in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, when I travelled there for a magazine feature. In India, most people would cook this recipe with pomfret, a type of butterfish, but I’ve made it with whole sea bass, red mullet and even a gurnard. To serve four, you’ll need four whole fish – although if you’re using sea bass you may only need two, depending on their size. Feel free to use fresh ginger and garlic – I just think that their ground alternatives work better in this particular recipe.
Ingredients
| 4 heaped tsp | tandoori masala |
| 1 tsp | ground coriander |
| 1 tsp | ground fennel |
| 1 tsp | ground ginger |
| ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| 1 tsp | ground black pepper |
| 1 tsp | chilli powder |
| 1 tsp | garlic granules |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| juice of 1 | lemon |
| 3 tsp | yoghurt |
| 2 tbsp | oil |
| 4 small | whole fish, such as sea bass, descaled and gutted |
| To serve: | |
|---|---|
| mooli raita (see pg 244 of Romy Gill's India) | |
| pudina aur dhanuja chutney (mint and coriander chutney – see page 238 of Romy Gill's India) | |
| wraps (optional) | |
| salad leaves (optional) |
Method
Place all the ground spices, pepper, chilli powder, garlic granules, salt, lemon juice, yoghurt and 2 teaspoons of the oil in a bowl and mix well until combined.
Slash the skin of the fish and smear liberally with the marinade. Leave to marinate for an hour in the fridge.
When ready to cook, preheat the grill (broiler) to the highest temperature.
Skewer the whole marinated fish lengthwise,
drizzle rest of the oil and cook under the grill for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time so that it cooks evenly on both sides. Enjoy with salads and with mooli (white radish) raita, and mint and coriander chutney.
You can also serve the fish inside a wrap. Warm the wraps, spread them with the raita and chutney, add some salad leaves. Once the fish is cooked, take some of the flesh off the bones and place in the wrap, then roll up and eat.
Reviews
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